Performance in Independent Films

Performance in Independent Films

A primary goal of the independent films is not entertainment or box-office success. They tend to investigate uncommon ideas, experiment, and focus on social issues; moreover, they rarely own a big budget or feature popular actors. For all these reasons, every independent picture is a challenge for a director, cast, and, definitely, the audience. Being a part of such project implies a huge risk and responsibility for everyone involved. Apart from the input of the director and screenwriter, a critical success of the film is largely dependent on the performances of the actors. In certain kind of movies, such as Boyhood and My Left Foot, a successful performance plays a crucial part.

Boyhood (2014)

The most outstanding feature of the movie by directed Richard Linklater is that he has been filming it for twelve consecutive years with the same cast (Gritten). Boyhood is a story about growing up focused on a boy named Mason and his family. The plot is simple but likely resonant with the most of the audience, as the characters experience all the life stages typical for the majority of people, ups and downs, crises, dramas, aspirations and disappointments. With its calm, nostalgic, and philosophical vibe, the film effortlessly evokes occasional feelings of recognition and causes goosebumps.

The first thing that the producers and the cast deserve credit for is unbelievable commitment. Linklater has managed to keep a big group of professionals interested in his project for twelve years and the actors demonstrate exceptional devotion to their roles. The director aims to create a movie about life as it is while developing genuine characters ordinary people can relate themselves to. Shooting a movie for the same length of time as the story lasts is surprisingly obvious but ambitious method that nobody has ever tried before. The actors almost have to live a double life becoming older in a real life and in a fictional story at the same time.

Ellar Coltrane, a primary actor, provides the audience with a unique opportunity to witness the character being played by the same actor in both childhood and adolescence. His performance is truly breathtaking as he is naturally growing into his character, changes along with him, and discovers new aspects of his personality. It seems as if he does not have to act at all, since his role is about natural reactions of a little boy, a teenager, and a young man towards the events around him. He gracefully undergoes the stages of childish curiosity of six-year-old Mason, his awkward years during the middle school, and, finally, comes to the phase of uncertainty and existential thinking before entering college. Very likely Coltrane experienced all these stages in real life throughout the filming years and it helped him to flawlessly develop his character.

It is necessary to mention a brilliant performance by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke who has played Mason’s parents. Arquette’s character is a painfully familiar archetype known to many single mothers who had to grow up too fast. Her Olivia is charming but tired young woman, whose mind is occupied with too many troubles. Arquette skillfully conveys her uncertainty as a young single parent, depression in times of abusive relationship, confidence and beauty after getting a dream job, and, finally, her relief mixed with devastation and disappointment after her children have gone to college. On the other hand, Hawke’s character speaks to all the fathers who just needed more time and understanding to become decent parents. He manages to show a person who genuinely cares about his children despite his light-headedness and frustration at the beginning of the story, especially during his calm and mature years at the end. Linklater’s approach results in creating a tight-knit team portraying a family relationship in the most authentic way. The years the cast spent filming together made their connection look natural and credible, giving it a certain documentary feel.

My Left Foot (1989)

My Left Foot: the Story of Christy Brown is a real story of an Irish artist born with cerebral palsy filmed by Jim Sheridan. The director has chosen a problematic and unpopular topic to portray. He focuses on the reality of the working class Dublin, prejudice and misconceptions regarding people with special needs, and, above all, the desire to live and realize one’s potential. Since people with palsy often have difficulties with verbal communication, society tends to treat them as mentally deprived. For all his life Christy Brown is trying to disprove this wrong belief.

Sheridan sets a challenging task for both Hugh O'Conor, playing the younger Christy, and brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis, playing the main part. The actors were to convey Brown’s multidimensional personality and complicated nature while being limited with mimics, body language, and the ability to speak in the first place. It is important to state that both O’Conor and Day-Lewis managed to deliver an exceptional performance that was rightly praised by the critics. It is obvious that Day-Lewis has spent a lot of time studying cerebral palsy and the peculiarities of its presentation. Significantly, his acting had to be convincing but not comical or offensive to people who actually suffer from such disorder. Thus, Daniel’s acting tools were limited to his eyes, voice, and his left foot, as it was the only limb the real Christy Brown could control.

More than anything, the main personage is trying to avoid pity towards his character. Despite being handicapped, Brown is a man with his own temper and ambitions, a man who wants to provide for his family, drink beer, engage into fights, and flirt with women. Notwithstanding the physical boundaries, Day-Lewis shows the audience a deep personality of a talented artist, loving son, caring brother, sarcastic writer, and often grumpy and stubborn character.

Conclusion

In the cases of Boyhood and My Left foot, actor’s role was not only important for the critical success of the movie, but fundamental to its very existence and extension of the definition of indie movies in general. Independent filmmaking emerged due to the unconventional and bold ideas of directors and screenwriters, but it would not survive without actors willing to devote themselves to ambitious and, sometimes, doubtful projects. The progress of this branch of cinema industry is possible as long as there are people who choose ideas over money and originality over uniformity.

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